The Great Social Security Number Scandal of 2007

Michael Tiemann throws a fit over the fact that your Social Security Number is a required field to activate an iPhone — despite the fact that Apple explicitly states they don’t store it with your iTunes account — but then admits:

Now, I’m sure that it’s possible to get a phone activated without giving up one’s SSN. I did it with my carrier several years ago by walking the issue up to a VP’s desk and posting a $1,000 bond for two years. So it can be done.

In other words, it’s a standard part of the credit-check process for any cell phone contract. So his problem is with the entire U.S. cell phone industry, not the iPhone. Good thing he didn’t publish this with a hysterical iPhone-specific title.

★ Friday, 6 July 2007